How China is using technology to fight coronavirus

The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak has become a global catastrophe , leaving thousands dead, millions vulnerable, and sending stocks plummeting. It is an unanticipated disaster of epic proportions that has exposed human fragility in an interconnected world. China, from where the virus originated, has been the worst hit. To combat this disease the Chinese use many new technologies to help contain the disease. So that is what I will look at today.

This is an example of the app where a checkpoint guard could scan the QR code to see medical history and what color this person is marked as.

We start simple with an app. The app helps Chinese officials decide if someone should be quarantined or not. The app assigns one of three colors to people green, yellow or red on the basis of their travel and medical histories. Only those people who have been given a green color code can be allowed in public spheres after using the designated QR code at metro stations, offices and other public places. There are checkpoints at most public places where the code and person’s body temperature is checked. More than 200 Chinese cities are using this system, and soon it will be extended nationwide. So this can be used as an alternative to test people because tests are expensive and very limited.

My personal thoughts on this app are that I think it is kinda helpful but could be improved. First off if someone gets a red rating when they don’t even have the disease it would almost completely ruin their life for a while. They couldn't go to public places and would almost certainly be fired from any job they had. Not to mention no one would want to be around you, like i wouldn't go anywhere near somebody marked to be quarantined. But this system does get the job done and prevents the spread of the disease but at what cost.

This is a robot delivering food to people who are infected and quarantined in their rooms.

From preparing meals at hospitals, doubling up as waiters in restaurants, spraying disinfectants and cleaning, to vending rice and dispensing hand sanitizers, robots are on the front lines everywhere to prevent the spread of coronavirus. In many hospitals, robots are also performing diagnosis and conducting thermal imaging. Shenzhen based company Multicopter is using robots to transport medical samples. These robots help reduce the spread of human contact and are a great way to give sick people food without the need of an actual person coming in contact with them.

So I think this is a great idea. It helps limit the spread of the disease and can perform many different tasks that a human could do. These robots also limit the need for protective gear for people to come in contact with the virus. Also I think it would be pretty awesome if a robot showed up at my door and gave me some food and medicine and it would definitely cheer me up if I was sick and felt horrible. One thing though is when the robot returns to the kitchen or wherever it goes it will most likely carry the virus on it so the staff will have to be extra careful.

This drone is carrying medical supplies to sick residents without the risk of exposure to the virus.

In some of the severely affected areas, where humans have a risk of catching the virus, drones have come to the rescue. Drones are transporting both medical equipment and patient samples. This is saving time, enhancing the speed of delivery and preventing the risk of medical samples being contaminated. Drones are also flying with QR codes that can be scanned to register health information. These drones are kinda like the robots I talked about earlier but for more long distance and more serious instances. Plus they can also spray disinfectants and warn people about infected areas.

For some reason these drones remind me of what amazon wanted to do a while back with their whole delivery system( The drones used are not amazon drones) I think these drones are perfect. For example if someone an hour drive away needs medicine or food and you don’t want to drive through infected areas, just go get your drone and fly it over without any risk of exposure. Sure drones can not carry as much as a truck or ambulance but they sure are faster. Plus you don’t need to go through the hassle of checkpoints and risking exposure.



So will this new tech save us from the coronavirus? Sorry but no, but they sure will help. Sure they can help people deliver supplies and identify people to quarantine but if we want to stop the virus we need to be smarter. For example we can’t go on planes full of people knowing that we have a chance of having corona and being tested for it then mid way through the flight find out we do have the virus and spread it to a bunch of people.( this actually happened) So please think about what your actions and what impact they might have.

Post by - Camillo.M